


Gold

by SelenaTerna



Series: Random Doctor Who Ficlets [5]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 06:43:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10508421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelenaTerna/pseuds/SelenaTerna
Summary: The Doctor takes Rose to a unique marketplace for a very special reason.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovely people! This is my response to the Time Petals drabble prompt 'gold'. So, this is...not the story I intended to write- it seems my brain had other ideas. This story is a bit more serious than i had intended. Also, TRIGGER WARNING for non-explicit references to domestic violence. I hope you like it anyway- bit different from the usual again.
> 
> As always, I've managed to go way over the one hundred words mark- it's more like 8 drabbles (i.e. a ficlet), so sorry about that. As it's so long, I've given it a little home of its own, as well as adding it to my TPP work.
> 
> And now on with the show!

“Is it not lovely?” The young woman displayed the rose-gold necklace for Rose to inspect. 

“’S’ beautiful,” Rose breathed. “But oh! Look it’s broken! That bit, there.” She pointed at the broken and flattened links.

The young woman- Kalina- smiled. “It is.”

Rose shook her head in disappointment. “What a waste.”

Kalina smiled. “But why should it go to waste?”

“’Cause it’s broken!” Rose pointed out. “Look, all along there, they’ve been squashed- and that bit’s snapped right off! How can you fix that?”

“I cannot,” the young woman agreed. “It is damaged beyond repair and I cannot hope to mend it in its current state. However, I _can_ remake it, and your Doctor thought you might like to watch.”

“I- yeah, alright.” She turned to the Doctor as Kalina bound her long blue hair back from her face and donned a leather apron. “Doctor, what-?”

He folded his arms and nodded towards the young woman who had just lit a small furnace. “Watch and see, Rose.”

Frowning in puzzlement, she turned back to watch. The Doctor had been behaving very oddly since their visit to her mum two days ago.

Rose flushed in shame at the memory of a drunken Jackie recounting Rose’s sordid history with Jimmy Stone to the Doctor. She’d left nothing out, not even that last fight that had put her in hospital, and worse still had listed Rose’s injuries in detail. In the end, Rose had fled the room, not wanting to see the Doctor’s reaction or know what he must think of her. Neither of them had brought it up since.

Blinking, she refocused in time to see Kalina take the damaged necklace, place it in a crucible and then place the crucible carefully into the furnace with a pair of tongs. Rose couldn’t help but make a small moan of distress at the thought of that beautiful necklace being melted to nothing. 

A familiar hand slid into hers, fingers entwining automatically. “It’ll all be worth it, Rose. Just you wait and see.”

“Yeah, I know, but….it’s such a shame. It was so nice and now they have to destroy it.”

“They’re not destroyin’ it,” he corrected. “They’re _remakin’_ it, Rose. Look.”

Kalina carefully removed the crucible from the furnace and, tipped it into the waiting mould. Before long, they were watching young goldsmith roll the gold into two pieces and tap away at them with her tools.

Rose watched her work. “Takes a lot of work to remake it.”

“It _is_ tough work,” the Doctor rumbled in the Northern burr she loved so much. “Takes a lot of time and effort, but it’s worth it.” He turned to face her, his blue eyes intent. “Gold is unique, you see Rose - doesn’t rust like other metals, doesn’t break easily either- very malleable. It’s strong, can stand up to a lot . And it’s beautiful.” His eyes were burning now. “An’ even if it _does_ break, it’s never ruined; just melt it down and start again, and turn it into something better and stronger than it was before. Takes a lot of grunt, takes time, but it’s worth it in the end. It’s very valuable _,_ gold.”

She tried to breathe, frozen with shock and shame and _hope_ at what she thought he was saying. “Yeah?”

His eyes blazed into hers. “Oh yes. I’m certain of that, me.”

They were interrupted a moment later by Kalina, the finished product in an open blue box. “Your finished piece, Doctor, and just as you requested, made from a damaged piece.”

Rose felt as though everything swayed for a moment. He’d done it all for her; he’d brought them here, to this market, for _her_. He didn’t think less of her, even after he’d heard about what had happened, what she’d _become_ , with Jimmy.

The Doctor looked at the finished product and nodded in approval, handing over his credit stick. “That’ll do nicely, thanks. Just what I was after.”

Turning back to Rose he motioned for her to turn around and gently fastened the new necklace around her neck, the touch of his fingers on her neck making her shiver.

“See?” he said, gently turning her to face him. “Not broken anymore. It’s stronger and more beautiful than it was before.” He caressed her cheek. “And just as valuable, Rose, just as precious.”

Trembling, she turned to a small mirror on a nearby wooden bench and saw that she was wearing a braided choker in rose-gold -seemingly delicate but oh, so very strong- with a rose-shaped pendant on the end.

The Doctor came up behind her and his gaze pierced hers even in the mirror.

“It’s fantastic, gold. No matter how many times it breaks, it always becomes something newer and stronger.”

Rose swallowed, trying to keep back her tears.

The Doctor seemed to understand, and smiled gently. “My golden Rose.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to drop me a line on tumblr- I'm at https://countessselena.tumblr.com/.


End file.
